US durable goods orders rise past forecasts in February
Orders for goods made to last more than three years jumped past forecasts last month.
According to the Department of Commerce, total durable goods orders increased at a 1.2% month-on-month pace to reach $249.41bn (consensus: -0.8%).
Nonetheless, the underlying details of the report were a bit weaker.
Excluding transportation, orders fell by 0.8% against January, more than double economists' projections (consensus: -0.3%).
And so-called 'core' capital goods orders, which excludes defence and those for aircraft and parts, shrank by 0.8% (consensus: -0.4%).